The Tunnel Outside Omashu
by Narshe
Summary: where have Kai and Jinora found themselves this time? / early Kainorra
**A/N: This takes place sometime in book 3.**

* * *

Oh boy. What had Kai gotten her into now? It was the middle of the day, and they were standing outside of the great Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, where the rest of Team Avatar was searching for more air benders. It was their last stop before Ba Sing Se.

But they weren't with the rest of Team Avatar. They weren't even near the air ship. They had walked far past the edge of town because Kai swore it would be fun to explore. _They could airbend out here,_ he said with excitement. And now look at her: cold, somewhat afraid, and alone except for the beautiful boy standing in front of her... What _had_ she gotten herself into?

 _Something amazing,_ she thought suddenly. She and Kai were walking hand-in-hand towards nothing in particular, and as much as she feared her father's wrath when they returned, she was content being here with him now. Kai was the first friend she'd had close to her in age. Ikki and Meelo always seemed like babies to her. Kai was more—

Jinora's stomach suddenly flopped. Her feet were no longer touching the ground. Instead her butt was sliding—spiraling—dropping— _plummeting—_ down some drop that neither she nor Kai had seen coming. She let out a yelp as her hand slid out from Kai's. Her back was getting scraped by the rough tunnel. The dirt was coating her body and the drop didn't seem to end. She needed to find her footing, but it was complete darkness. She could airbend both her and Kai to safety. But she couldn't tell up from down from left to right in this bizarre tunnel of a slide.

She heard Kai screaming, and tried to focus on him. She needed to think quickly because who knew when the bottom was coming. She reached for Kai and blindly felt her way to his hand. She snatched it, and pulled hard so they could be facing the same way. She then bent three air currents around them to stabilize their position and slow their fall.

"Hold on, Kai," she whispered, straining to keep them both afloat.

She had finally slowed the air enough so she could see where they were. She allowed the currents to lower them both gently down the tunnel. It was hard. Kai and hers body masses needed a lot of air to support. But she managed by keeping her breath even. And finally she felt the air dissipate against the ground. She let go, and they landed lightly on their feet, now in some unknown territory. Of darkness.

Wherever they were it was pitch black now. Jinora couldn't see her hand in front of her face.

"What was _that_?!" Kai said. He sounded irrational and confused. More than that, he sounded _terrified_. His mind was spinning and his thoughts swirling. _What had happened?_

Jinora didn't have an answer, but instead a theory. "We must've stepped on a soft spot in the earth. It spit us out here. In a cave, by the looks of it."

At the sound of her voice, it was as if Kai remembered that Jinora was with him. He reached for her, and instantly felt safe. Jinora was rational where Kai didn't have a clue to begin.

"What're we going to do?" Kai asked, now calm.

Jinora tried to take in her surroundings (her eyes were trying to adjust to the darkness), but it was too dark to tell one way from another. Except, oddly, up. A freckling collection constellations of littered overhead them.

"Kai, what's that?" Jinora said. She pointed towards the roof above them and for the first time was able to see an outline of her hand. The faint blue lights offered a trifling of light for them. Not much travelled down to Jinora and Kai (she could only just make out Kai's outline) but the lights needed to mean _something_.

"Whuh…" Kai breathed next to her. "Uh… lights…? What do you think they're made of?"

"Something bioluminescent… but I have no idea what…" Jinora was caught up in her own world of thought, but Kai's worried voice dragged her back to reality.

"But… what is that?" Kai asked, suddenly sounding terrified. He was referring to a huge cement rectangle sitting on the ground. There was one identical to it right on its right. Jinora walked forwards, towards the two cement boxes. She let her fingers slide along both surfaces, waiting for something to jump out at her.

But then, a scary thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Uh, Kai?"

"Yeah?" Kai asked, sounding like he was standing right next to her.

"Um… does this look like a tomb to you? And maybe these are… the sarcophaguses?"

Kai took a couple steps and joined Jinora at the two boxes. He then danced his fingers along the surface of each box, when he found small grooves on both boxes towards the front. Or maybe that was where the back was.

"There's something here," Kai assured her. He guided her hand to feel the writing.

"It's an inscription. But it's too dark to read what it says," Jinora said, disappointed.

"Maybe so," Kai agreed. "But I've spend enough time in dark places to know how to feel my way around letters."

"Really?" Jinora sounded bewildered.

"Yeah," Kai answered as if this fact of his skill was something that anybody could do.

"Kai, that's incredible. Where did you say you learned that?" Jinora asked.

Kai did not like being prodded for information. He liked Jinora, but that didn't mean he automatically trusted her with information of his past. "Oh, you know… around," he tried his best to keep his voice light. "Here, let me give it a try."

He began at what he presumed to be the top, and traced his fingers along the line of speech.

"Here lies Lady Oma, lover of Shu and buried at his right for eternity.

"The two lovers met on top of a mountain that divided their two villages," Kai began. "The villages were enemies, so they could not be together, but their love was strong and they found a way…"

Jinora listened intently to the story of these two lovers: how they were the first earthbenders, after having learned from badgermoles themselves. Then, they constructed an elaborate set of tunnels to meet in secret.

"…Omashu was named after their love. A love that is brightest in the dark," Kai finished.

"Love is brightest in the dark." Jinora repeated.

"That's what it says," Kai shrugged. He was confused by the inscription. "Ya think it's true?"

No response.

"Jinora? Did you hear me?"

Nothing.

Kai's heart jumped up into his throat. He thought he could maybe see the faint outline of her, but why wasn't she responding?! Was she okay? His hand lunged out to touch her, but instead of grabbing her hand he punched her hip.

"Ow, what'd you do that for?" Jinora demanded. She didn't sound mad. Just… confused.

"Sorry, sorry," Kai told her. "It's dark. I meant to grab your hand."

Jinora smiled at his words, and stretched her hand to his. Blushing just slightly (and suddenly thankful for the darkness), she asked, "Why'd you reach to grab my hand?"

Kai shrugged. "You weren't responding and I… I don't know got scared that maybe you weren't okay."

"Oh, sorry," Jinora immediately slipped her hand from Kai's and crossed them across her chest. _Stupid,_ she thought, _he doesn't want to hold your hand._ "Sorry, it's just… I'm thinking…"

"About?" Kai prompted.

"Well… it's in a straight line," Jinora began, and highlighted the speckling lights above them with a dragging of her finger. "Beginning here and leading out that way."

"You don't think—" Kai began, but Jinora finished.

"If we follow the light, we'll get out of here," Jinora announced, suddenly feeling very confident.

Kai looked hesitant. "So we just travel around in the dark?" he asked, sounding almost angry.

"Do you have a better idea?" Jinora demanded, now defensive.

Kai was silent. He hadn't meant for her to get mad at him. Honestly, he didn't have a better idea. That being said, he didn't love Jinora's… how to keep his voice as gentle as possible?

"No," he said, struggling to make sure Jinora knew he wasn't trying to be mad. "No, I'm sorry. I just… we don't know what's outside this tomb, you know?"

He heard Jinora take a few steps toward him, and grabbed his hand. "We just need to believe in each other," Jinora smiled. "And… love."

"Love." Kai repeated. "Trust in love. That's it?"

"I know we'll get out of here. I can feel it. C'mon," Jinora began to pull him the way in the direction the light went. At the end of the room stood a door.

"I'm sorry… I—I wish I believed that…" Kai's voice trailed off. He really to jump headlong into trust and believe with Jinora, but something (perhaps the fact that no one had ever, not once, been trusting with him) held him back. He felt like he needed something more concrete than that. "I do, please believe me! It's just… we have no idea what's out there. There could be wolf bats or eel hounds or ostrich horses or moose lions or—"

"Hey, it's no trouble," Jinora told him gently, squeezing his hand to show support. "There may be another way."

"What?" Kai asked, confused, relieved, and doubting all at the same time.

"I've been… working on something…" Jinora felt her face heat up right away. "It's still a little… spacey… but there may be a way I can see what's waiting for us outside of this tomb. Without physically going out there."

Kai was silent as he waited for her to explain. "I've been practicing spirit bending."

"Spirit bending? Sounds like a torture technique," Kai stated.

"It's not," Jinora assured. "It's using your inner spirit to connect to other spirits. It's difficult staying in the physical world, though… that's why I've been practicing."

"Is it safe?"

"Completely," Jinora guaranteed. "Nothing can go wrong… I just won't be able to detach my spirit is all. If anything we'll just waste time. If it works, though… I could walk through this wall and see what's on the other side!"

"Okay," Kai agreed. "What can I do to help?"

"Just be quiet and meditate with me," Jinora smiled calmly.

"Meditate?" Kai smiled. "Jinora, I don't meditate."

"You're an airbender now," Jinora said as she guided his hands downwards, toward the ground. He needed to sit in order to keep up with his hands. "Airbenders meditate."

"How do I do it?" Kai wondered aloud.

"Just close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing and nothing else. The hardest part is to not let your mind run."

"Okay, I think I can do that…" Kai said. Jinora guided his hands into the proper position and then she mimicked the same formation with her own.

"Just breathe. Focus on making your breathing completely even—exhales and inhales of the same length. Big, long, deep breaths."

Kai nodded, even though Jinora didn't see it. He tried very hard to concentrate on his breathing. He forced his diaphragm to expand and contract under his breathing, and Jinora had been right: it was very difficult to not let his mind wander. It was rare that Kai's mind ever stopped wondering. So this was a first to begin with.

But he tried. For Jinora's sake. She was the only one who had shown him real kindness since he'd joined the Avatar's crew. Mako sure seemed to hate him. Jinora's opinion mattered to him, and he would do anything not to mess it up. So if that meant trying his best to meditate, then gosh darn it mediate he would.

That didn't make it any easier though. It was difficult to empty his thoughts. There was so much to think about! Like, for example, how he was going to get out of here. Jinora said she had an idea, but he wasn't sure how well it was going to work. He wanted to stop meditating and start letting his mind race! This wasn't okay! They were lost lost _lost_! In some random cave and nobody knew that they'd even gone! How on earth were they going to—

"Kai, open your eyes," Jinora's gentle voice shook him out of his terror. He realized his breathing was suddenly ragged—the exact opposite it should be after meditating.

"You okay?" she asked him, her huge brown eyes boring into his. They were the only part of her face he could really make out.

"Of course, yeah, I'm fine." Kai's bravado echoed across the entire tomb.

He felt her hand touch his shoulder. "It's okay not to be."

He stood up suddenly, and brushed himself off. Not that that did any good. The both of them were coated in a thick layer of dusty dirt.

"Honestly, Jinora, I'm good. I should be concerned with you! Did you spirit bend? Do you have any idea where we are?"

Jinora looked away. "No," she admitted. "I couldn't get my spirit form to become solid enough to be on its own. It kept getting pulled back into my physical body."

"So… now what?" Kai asked. Jinora extended a hand to help him to his feet.

"Now it's time for you to trust me, Kai. I'll never let you down. I know we can trust in love. I know we can."

"But… what's on the other side of the door?" he sounded scared, though tried to mask it behind wonder.

"I am," she said and squeezed his hand. Kai let her do it, too. She was right, after all. It was time to trust Jinora.

"Okay," he said. They walked over to open the latched door. On Kai's third time trying to twist the handle, the door finally budged. The rest was smooth spinning and before Kai could think second thoughts, Jinora pushed open the door.

The other side was complete darkness. A black abyss of nothingness. Nothing expect the constellation-like glittering on the ceiling. Those flecks offered just enough light to see how far the tunnel went.

"Ready?" Jinora asked, squeezing his hand again.

"Mh-hm," Kai nodded and even took the first step. They walked hand-in-hand through the darkness, and Kai realized that trusting in Jinora was okay. He did it and the world didn't end. He took the leap and nobody died. This was okay.

"Kai, do you see it?" Jinora sounded hugely excited.

Kai squinted. There, nearly out of their possible vision, was a small circle of light. _The exit._

"C'mon!" Jinora nearly shouted, she was so unable to contain her excitement. Her hand dropped from Kai's and she began to run at full speed. Kai caught up with her, and he propelled himself faster with his air bending. It became a race to see who could get into light first, and the two young teens ran as fast as the bended wind would let them.

The circle of light was getting bigger. They were so close to the exit now. Jinora was in the lead, and she looked back at Kai. He was on her tail. She gave him a smirk that didn't last long.

Her foot got caught. Her chest it the ground, but the ground was farther down than her foot. It was downhill. She began tumbling down down down towards the exit, and she could feel and hear Kai on top of her, rolling with her as they finished the last stretch of tunnel.

She heard the thumping of their bodies and the floor of the cave was hard every time she hit it, but she couldn't stop the spinning inside her own head, let alone around her.

Finally, the ground beneath her leveled, and she opened her eyes. Brightness. Brightness everywhere. It was way too bright. She covered her eyes immediately with her hands to let them adjust slowly to the brightness. When she was ready, she looked down. She was laying on her stomach, sprawled over Kai, who lay on his back, a goofy, toothy grin looking up at the sky.

"We did it," she heard him breathe.

"We did," Jinora smiled back.

It was then that both pre-teens noticed their… compromising position. Jinora airbended herself up and rose to two feet. She blushed lightly, and offered a hand to Kai. He took it, and she helped pull him to his feet.

"This was a very good airbending practice," Jinora smiled in spite of themselves. They had started the day just wanting to do some airbending and look at what happened. Kai returned the smile and began to chuckle. Jinora laughed, too, now, and she clutched her stomach.

"Let's get _out_ of here," she said through giggles. "Today has been so crazy."

"You gotta admit… it was kinda fun," Kai said as they began walking up the mountain, back to Omashu.

"Kind of… I did get to test out my spirit bending! I've been wanting to do that," Jinora admitted.

"Too bad it didn't work," Kai said with sympathetic disappointment.

"Oh right…" Jinora said way too quickly. The blood rushed into her cheeks, and she pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Jinora…" Kai warned. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Uhh… well I… maybe lied. Just a little bit," Jinora looked over at him with an apology written across her face. "I didn't want to! I just… I wanted you to trust in me. Not in the spirit bending."

Kai stopped walking, so so did Jinora. "Then it did work? What did you see?"

"The tunnel. And how the exit wasn't far away. I figured... it would be a testament to our friendship if you trusted in us," Jinora admitted. "Are you mad?"

Kai huffed. "I'm not mad," he assured. "I'm actually… kinda thankful… I did trust you, Jinora. That isn't something I've been able to do in… a _long_ time."

"But then I lied about it! I… I wanted you to trust me so much that I deliberately lied to gain your trust! You shouldn't think that's okay; you shouldn't—"

Jinora immediately stopped talking when she felt big arms wrapping around her. She stiffened before she relaxed into Kai's embrace.

"Thank you," Kai said as a whisper in her ear.

Jinora wrapped her arms back around Kai and rested her head on his shoulders. "You're welcome."

They remained embraced like that for a while before Kai pulled away, and said, with a mischievous glint in his eye, "I'll beat you to the air ship."

"In your dreams," Jinora smirked back. Without waiting for him, she began to leap at full airbending potential up the side of the mountain. She pounced off the ground and leapt with extension. She glided through the air currents and rushed past the side of the mountain. She paused once to see how Kai was keeping up.

Despite being a very new airbender, Kai was right on her tail. Jinora looked back, suddenly feeling very competitive. She raced him all the way back to the airship, which was anchored right outside the walls of Omashu.

"Once she'd made it to the ship, she turned around to see Kai close but too far. She had won. She smiled broadly until he reached her and the ship.

"Don't worry, Kai, you'll win in your dreams tonight," she poked fun

"I'll beat you one day, Jinora. You'll see. I'll be a greater airbender than your—"

"Jinora!" a deep, worried voice suddenly called from the airship.

The young airbender turned around to see Tenzin rushing at her down the air ship's ramp. "Where—where have you been? It's nearly sunset! You've been missing for hours and—and you're absolutely covered in filth! What… what on earth happened to you?"

Jinora looked down. Her yellow airbending garments were now a sickly mustard with dirt. She looked over at Kai, whose green shirt now had a greyish tint. Not to mention his once-white undershirt was now a brown-grey.

Kai brushed past Jinora's father with a smile and said, "Don't worry, Master Tenzin. We just rolled around in some dirt. After airbending." Jinora smiled at Kai's natural lie and leapt to join him up the air ship's ramp.

"Besides, we're air benders. We clean off easy," she said with a smile. In a second, all the dust was gone from her clothes and skin. It landed peacefully onto the ground, rejoining with the earth.

Kai looked over at her in awe. "Ooh, I can do that, too," Kai smiled. He mimicked Jinora's motions and the dirt immediately flew off him as well. "Wicked," Kai said to himself, looking down at his clean clothes.

He looked over at Tenzin to see if he was proud of his airbending but a thick layer of dust had been plastered onto his face. Jinora's suppressed giggling said it all.

* * *

 **A/N: Whooh! Just in time. This one-shot is my submission for round two of alyssialui's probending tournament.**

 **Word count: 3,491.**

 **Prompts:  
** **Cave of two lovers—2 pts  
** **Kai—2 pts  
** **bending that isn't earth water fire or air—3pts**

 **Happy days :)**


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